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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29081337">Re:Union</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/mugennocloud/pseuds/mugennocloud'>mugennocloud</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Magic, Fantasty, Gen, final fantasy vii inspired, i think about taehyun as cloud a lot, members will come soon enough, not sure where this is going</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-01-30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-03</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 11:15:00</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,296</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29081337</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/mugennocloud/pseuds/mugennocloud</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A can do anything, mercenary for hire Kang Taehyun finds himself doing more than he was paid for. Luckily, as a former soldier, he's got the skills and the knowledge to get him through most anything – that is, until an odd and very mysterious Choi Beomgyu makes Taehyun his bodyguard.</p><p>In a world where the rich and wealthy look down at the poor and unfortunate from meters above, injustices, crimes, and other misfortunes are abundant, but nothing Taehyun cared to get involved with unless the price was right. But this? Taehyun has no idea what's ahead of him.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>I haven't stopped thinking about Blonde Taehyun and Cloud Strife.</p><p>I was told this was like writing a bike, so please bear with me as I learn to write again. I know this will all make more sense (and then probably less sense at some point before it makes more sense again) later. I'm bad at starting, but I wanted to get this going, so. It starts, but maybe not at the start.</p><p>This is an AU inspired by Final Fantasy VII, but who knows what will happen. Not our unreliable narrator, of course.</p><p>We'll see.</p><p>Okay. Thank you. Byeee.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The smell of flowers woke Taehyun with a shock – a gentle, sweet, aromatic shock. How long had it been since he smelled flowers? And these were definitely lilies, he thought as the faint perfume brought him back to quiet mornings in the kitchen of his small home, watching his mother prep for the day. Flowers were rare, even back then, even in their countryside town, and yet she always made a point to have fresh ones. His mother would always catch him staring, lost in thought, only to bring him back with a soft chuckle and a gentle, “–</p><p>“–Excuse meeee. Are you okay?”</p><p>That voice wasn’t his mothers, Taehyun realized. It was a lot deeper. A man’s? With a sharp inhale, a surge of pain ran through his body quickly, if not for a moment just to remind him of the fall he had taken. Hand pressed to his head, he sat up. How he survived that fall was one thing, but where he was… Even with his eyes shut, he could tell the room was bright – sunlight was filtering in too well. Last he remembered  – between the reactor and his fall – it was night last, so… how long was he out exactly? And where did he end up?</p><p>“Looks to me like you’re alright,” the voice noted; an amused chuckle followed with seeming delight.</p><p>Fighting back a groan, Taehyun turned to the direction of the voice. Opening his eyes, he was instantly greeted with deep blue ones, shining with excitement and curiosity. In front of him sat a young man — probably around Taehyun's age — dressed in a deep red overcoat and dark trousers. Civilian's clothing, he noted. A non-threatening one too, judging by the young man’s frame.</p><p>Perhaps it was all the sunlight in the room that made this boy's skin so fair or it was the contrast from his dark curly locks, but either way, something about him drew Taehyun straight to his glowing blue eyes. They were familiar and mysterious; a kind he knew he had seen before, but not in many, and not quite like this. And before Taehyun could even breathe another syllable, the dark haired boy leaned in closely.</p><p>“Oh. You’re the guy from before – that ‘soldier-mercenary’ or whatever, right?”</p><p>Taehyun found himself frowning at the raised brow before him. They had… met before? Perhaps it was the fall or just the whiplash of his sudden situation, but Taehyun couldn’t register where or when. At least, not yet. The amusement behind it was unsettling and Taehyun had too much to do, too much to figure out to deal with this. With a sigh, he shook his head and dusted off his uniform as he stood up. </p><p>“Only a mercenary now. And that's an ex-soldier. First Class,” he corrected out of habit – afterall, becoming a First Class soldier was no easy feat and should be something carried with pride. Taehyun, despite being a former soldier, still took pride in his ranking. That title alone was enough to let people know not to underestimate him. Running a hand through his golden hair, he smirked to himself for a moment. </p><p>“Oh, okay, Mr. Mercenary Now, Ex-Soldier, First Class.” The amusement in the other boy’s voice didn’t shy away; instead it even paired itself with a sarcasm Taehyun had no interest in. “You got a real name or was that dropped the same way you were through the roof? You didn’t tell me last time, either.”</p><p>“What…”</p><p>Taehyun followed the boy’s gaze that directed them upwards: they stared at what one could only assume was a Taehyun-caused hole in the high ceiling. Wood panels cracked, torn, and threatened to collapse even more at the arches. Staring straight up past the hole in the ceiling, hundreds of meters away, he could see the bottom of the steel plates with its large and intricate metal frames supporting the life above it. From this distance, the gaps between the plates weren’t even visible – it looked completely solid, like it was just a floating steel plate someone slapped onto a picture of the sky with no hints of civilization on the other side. Not even real. But from above, from topside, Taehyun remembered looking down at the slums, seeing all the tiny lights from below that seemed too far of a drop to survive. And yet, here he was.</p><p>First Class Soldiers really were built differently, he smirked to himself. </p><p>Shaking his own momentary amusement off, Taehyun left the question unanswered and shifted his attention to more pressing matters. Only then did he realize he was standing in a full bed of lilies in the middle of what could only be described as an abandoned church. The stained glass windows were faded, if not incomplete, and the rows of pews only sat dust and broken pieces. Something about the church and its regality felt out of place in the slums, even with its obvious deterioration. But perhaps that’s what made it fit just in – the slums are where those who don’t belong find their place, Kai said once (though, at the time Taehyun had taken it as a joke about their unexpected reunion).</p><p>Too many questions started popping up in his mind, but none interested him enough to be asked. He needed to meet up with Kai and Soobin again – without a doubt, they were already back in Sector 7. Soobin would've made sure of that. All Taehyun needed to do was find his way back, which shouldn’t be that hard – the slums were all connected from what Kai had told him.</p><p>Spotting his sword, Taehyun was set with a plan and determination to return to Sector 7 as soon as possible. He reached for it –</p><p>“What, you’re leaving just like that?” A foot planted itself firmly on Taehyun’s sword. Amused blue eyes stared back at Taehyun’s confused ones. “Don’t think you’ll have any reparations?”</p><p>“For the roof? This place was already falling apart,” Taehyun said dryly, pulling his sword from underneath the boy’s foot. He picked it up with ease and set it on his back, ready to head out.</p><p>The boy shook his head. “I don’t care about the roof. But the flowers on the other hand…” He grimaced, gesturing to where Taehyun stood.</p><p>Taehyun followed the boy’s gaze downwards this time: a closer look told him dozens of flowers had been trampled flat thanks to Taehyun’s carelessness. Now that made him feel a little bad – irritated, but still bad. Such delicate things weren't meant to be in the slums.</p><p>Such delicate things weren’t meant to be in the slums, was when he had said to the boy previously. Taehyun just then recalled having escaped the fallen reactor the other night and between the rush of civilians rushing to safety and law enforcement running aimlessly after terrorists they had no visuals on, he ran into what he remembered to be a very oblivious flower peddler. Somehow, the same guy who tried selling him flowers while the sky was falling now stood before him. ...At least Taehyun knew where the flowers came from now.</p><p>“I guess you owe me now,” the boy sighed, faking dismay with a dramatic hand to his forehead.</p><p>Taehyun frowned. “I’m not paying you for all these.”</p><p>“No, no, silly. Instead, you’ll be my bodyguard,” the boy grinned, eyes flashing with a mischievousness that came without explanation.</p><p>“Your wha–”</p><p>Before Taehyun could fully get his words together, the large church doors swung open with a gust of force; the slam of impact echoed through. The boy swiftly placed himself behind Taehyun and the two watched as seven men in black suits walked through the doors. Instinctively, Taehyun found himself tensing and reaching for his sword.</p><p>The men didn’t have to introduce themselves or even get any closer. Taehyun knew what they were. From their sharp suits to the weapons they concealed beneath paired with the disgust in their eyes – these men were scum, they were the dogs of Hanamol: these were Seeders, an underground ops Taehyun only knew to do dirty work. But what were they doing here? Seeders never came for ex-soldiers and there was no way they knew he was involved with the reactor incident. </p><p>“They’re here for me,” the boy chuckled, as if reading Taehyun’s mind. Glancing behind him, Taehyun frowned, to which the boy smiled. “Hi, I'm Beomgyu.”</p><p>Taehyun looked over Beomgyu, not sure what about this boy would make Seeders go after him. Beomgyu in no way seemed threatening (or even that important, Taehyun would think). The air around him, however, felt different, and his blue eyes glowed with a curiosity, but –</p><p>“Hey kid. Step away from the Celestial and we won’t have any problems,” a Seeder called out, not bothering to hide the aggression in his voice. Several of them took steps forward with recycled thugs cracking their knuckles.</p><p>“No, no. This is my bodyguard! He's gotta be here!” Beomgyu called out cheekily to the Seeders, waving his hand. Leaning closer to Taehyun, he whispered, “they’re kinda annoying but I know you can scare them off. So. Do your thing, Mr. Mercenary Now, Ex-Solider, First-Class.”</p><p>“It’s Taehyun.”</p><p>“Oh. So that's your name." Taehyun scowled, not enjoying the cheekiness Beomgyu still had even in the face of an obvious threat. That became the least of his worries the moment Beomgyu yelled, “Duck!” and pulled Taehyun down.</p><p>Taehyun withdrew his sword from his back in time for the metal of his blade to clash against the metal rod swung at him. Grabbing Beomgyu with his right arm, he jumped back, distancing them from the Seeder who attacked.</p><p>“Oh?” The Seeder cocked a brow. “So you’ve got moves.”<br/>
Taehyun let go of Beomgyu and, without breaking his gaze from the bastard in front of him, gestured with a slight nudge of his head for the boy to fall back. Sensing Beomgyu’s presence shift farther away, Taehyun knew he could focus on what was before him: this Seeder was bigger than Taehyun, not by much in height, but in an overcompensating density Taehyun didn’t find threatening at all. It meant nothing without the skill to back it up. And from the scars on this guy’s face, Taehyun could tell he was a cocky, albeit insanely sloppy fighter.</p><p>Smirking, the blonde stepped forward, sword at ready.</p><p>“Do you even know who we are, kid?” The unruly Seeder frowned, resting his metal rod on his shoulder for a moment. “We’re Seeders and this isn’t some play fight you think you can win. Even with your big ass sword.” The leader laughed and his lackeys joined in unison. </p><p>It gave Taehyun just the opening he needed. He lunged forward in a quick dash, swinging his sword. It clashed sloppily against the Seeder’s metal rod again and Taehyun caught a glimpse of the man’s pained expression – Taehyun’s speed was definitely not expected, he could tell.</p><p>“What the fuck–”</p><p>In a gridlock, metal rod holding against his sword, Taehyun shifted his weight and kicked back, using the man as a launchpad, sending him flying as Taehyun somersaulted back. Just as he landed on his feet, he saw the man regained himself to charge towards him with a battle cry of anger driving him closer. Quickly, Taehyun launched himself forward, meeting the man’s swings with just as much force. The church echoed with the clanging of metal against metal and with every side step and missed swing, the woods of the buildings and the pews broke from force. As the man yelled and swung more and more with his increasing rage, Taehyun knew best to stay calm, dodging more blows than landing swings. And in the ebb and flow of their rage and calm, Taehyun saw what he needed: just how blind this man’s rage made him.</p><p>The opening Taehyun needed came as he jumped back into the pews. The man followed him, swinging his rod down with full force from above his head – jumped back, landing on top of another pew to give himself the leverage of being out of his opponent's immediate sight.</p><p>"Where the—"</p><p>As Taehyun readied himself to swing, a large wooden beam came crashing down onto the man, knocking him down. Taken aback, Taehyun looked up. On the rafters of the second floor stood Beomgyu, proud smile and everything.</p><p>"Let's go!" The other boy called out, pointing to a fallen pillar. Taehyun's ramp up. He nodded, fixing his sword on his back. A lackey yelled at him to stop — it seemed they just registered the situation and realized it was their turn. But Taehyun didn't have the time to care. Instead, he focused on making his way up the ramp to follow the other boy.</p><p>Then gunshots.</p><p>Gunshots rang through the church. Taehyun shifted his weight with his steps, using the sword on his back as a shield for bullets he couldn't see coming. Hurriedly, he sprinted up the pillar onto the top balcony, pausing only to look behind him and find the guns men trying to follow suit. Without hesitation, he took his sword and swung with a force to break the pillar below him, crushing their way up.</p><p>"I knew I picked a good body guard!" Beomgyu cheered, grinning widely as he watched the pillar collapse, putting his pursuers in dismay.</p><p>"You — look out!" Taehyun dove, pulling Beomgyu down with him as another round of gunshots flew. </p><p>"Yeah… they're really persistent like that," Beomgyu sighed, patting Taehyun's arm. Pulling himself from underneath his self proclaimed bodyguard, Beomgyu crawled, using the railings as a shield. "But they can't — they won't kill me. They'll quit soon," he explained, glancing over his shoulder for Taehyun to follow his lead. </p><p>Taehyun frowned to himself; he looked back at the guns men below for a second before giving in and following Beomgyu's crawl. The other boy seemed to know where he was going, but even stranger, he seemed too accustomed to having an underground ops group coming after him. Just what exactly was this guy, Taehyun wondered.</p><p>They crawled steadily from the main hall into the back room, no longer in sight of the gunsmen after them. Taehyun stood up, standing still for a moment. Just as Beomgyu had said, the gunfire stopped. There were orders being yelled and feet hustling around, but soon enough, only silence came from the other room.</p><p>“Told ya,” Beomgyu said, sighing as if it were a burden to be right.</p><p>“Told ya? That’s how you respond to all those men trying to kill you?!” Taehyun shook his head in disbelief. “Whatever you’ve got going on, don’t get me involved.”</p><p>Beomgyu pursed his lips, huffing with obvious dismay. Taehyun stared, frowning to himself as he felt the other boy’s eyes scanning him. If anyone were to be judging someone, it definitely wasn’t Beomgyu. Had Taehyun been anyone else, they wouldn’t have gotten out of that situation as well as Taehyun had. Things could’ve been a lot worse and something in his gut told him that sticking around Beomgyu would only lead to that.</p><p>Shaking his head once again, Taehyun pushed past Beomgyu, wanting to leave the situation.</p><p>“Do… you even know where you’re going?” Beomgyu asked, turning to follow Taehyun. </p><p>Frustrated, Taehyun turned back and snapped, “Just what are you?”</p><p>Beomgyu blinked a few times, holding onto the silence before breaking into a smile. “Me? I told you. I’m Beomgyu.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Not everything is as it seems, but for now Taehyun finds there's more to Beomgyu even if he wasn't looking. They make their way down with determination.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Are you sure this is the best way to go?”  Taehyun didn’t bother trying to hide his obvious skepticism of what the other boy insisted was the best way to travel on this side of the slums: via rooftop.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Absolutely,” Beomgyu insisted, pressing his body against the side of the building as he inched slowly across the narrow ledge of the church balcony. Taehyun watched with his arms crossed for a moment as the other boy travelled with an ease that one only has when they’ve done it too many times to count.  The other boy hardly looked down and his feet treaded carefully and lightly, only stopping just before a loose piece of stone would break off. “I mean, unless you’d rather travel on the ground with your new best friends? I think they’d be happy to see you again.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Taehyun frowned to himself knowing Beomgyu was right: the Seeders were probably still in the area trying to recover from their earlier encounter. They might have called it quits, but for who knows how long. Sighing to himself, he took a step on the ledge to follow the other boy’s lead. Despite knowing looking down wouldn’t help, Taehyun found himself looking down: the balcony of the church was definitely not as tall as the plate he had fallen down on, but still, the drop looked daunting. One misstep and it’d be straight into the ground. He doubted luck would be on his side again – there would be no flower bed to land on again, and instead, what waits below was either the cold hard concrete, or the rusted remains of scrap metals common on the grounds of the slums. From here, there were no immediate buildings or anything to break a fall; it’d just be a one way trip down if –</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Here,” Beomgyu called out.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Snapping out of his thoughts, Taehyun looked up and saw a hand extended to him. Beomgyu had inched back seeing Taehyun’s hesitation. The dark haired boy gave a small nod, his eyes with a calm comfort. There was a softness in those eyes that surprised Taehyun – a softness he never would’ve expected from someone who selfishly made him a bodyguard without asking, threw him into battle, and now proposed they traverse through the city via rooftop. He stared at the hand for a moment, thinking it to be just as kind as those eyes. But, no.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Taehyun ignored the hand. Be it his pride as a soldier or the hestiance and skepticism he had towards the boy he met not too long ago, but Taehyun wouldn’t take it. Instead, he stepped forward on the ledge on his own, gesturing for Beomgyu to keep going on his own. He didn’t need the hand – it was just a moment in his thoughts and he was fine otherwise. Taehyun could get through this. He was fine. Really.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Beomgyu pursed his lips to the side for a moment in thought before sighing loudly and continuing with his trek forward. “If you’re worried about falling,” Beomgyu said over his shoulder, the teasing quality Taehyun remembered from earlier creeping back into his voice. “Just know the fall you had earlier through the roof was a lot crazier than if you were to fall now. I’m sure a super tough Ex-Soldier like you would be fine, no matter what you’re thinking.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Taehyun responded, half-listening. He focused on the path before them, watching as the other boy jumped off the ledge with ease, landing on the lower level awning. He followed suit without hesitation this time, not because he was out of his head, but because he didn’t want to deal with the other boy fussing over him again. Taehyun could get through this. He was a former First Class Soldier, after all.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So. Mr. Ex-Soldier. How’d you become a mercenary?” Beomgyu asked, filling the silence between them. Taehyun would’ve preferred they jump from rooftops in silence. The clanging of the sheet metals beneath their feet as they landed was noise enough. “You know, I think I could be a great soldier,” Beomgyu mused, not waiting too long for an answer from Taehyun he probably knew wouldn't come. The dark haired boy wiggled his brows playfully, wide grin spread across his face, and he took a few steps back. Without warning, he ran forward, leaping from the slated roof they stood on.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>What the fuck</span>
  </em>
  <span>, Taehyun tensed, rushing forward and reaching out for the other, only to grasp air.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“See! I’d be great!” Beomgyu grinned from below, arms up in the air proudly. The boy landed just fine on his own on the roof below them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Only then, with a deep breath released, did Taehyun realize how tightly he had been holding it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Following the boy, Taehyun leaped down below, landing next to Beomgyu. “You’re insane, you know that?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Beomgyu grinned back, hands placed on his hips with an air of arrogance. “That’s why I’d be a great soldier, isn’t it?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No. It just means you’re insane,” Taehyun said dryly, rolling his eyes. Shaking his head, he turned a way; a small smirk of amusement growing on his face as he looked ahead of them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The rooftops of this Sector were much different from Kai’s Sector - Sector 7. Whereas Kai’s side had tall buildings growing haphazardly together, there was still a sense of structure, as if someone tried to follow a grid, to follow a blueprint. Square buildings that were tall with flat roofs and even sides popped up every so often with makeshift extensions slapped on to the sides that would only be seen up close – the skyline of Sector 7 wouldn’t have shown that. The skyline of Sector 7 was rigidly monotonous from a far. Perhaps it was the most modern side of the slums, Taehyun figured. The people there seemed focused on their crafts and dreams to get out, to get somewhere bigger, so the drive was strong and aggressive, much like the skyline there.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The skyline before him, on the other hand, looked like a magnified junkyard. Piles and piles of buildings stood sky high without any attempts at standing separately from each other. Different colored sheets of metals overlapped, but were by no means an indication of separation. One building could’ve had three different colored slabs of metal for a wall, and two separate ones could’ve shared one sheet, divided only by a hidden wall. What looked like they might have been occupied at one point were housing now overgrown with yellowing plants and dirt spilling from doorways. Sector 5 was more than just abandoned once; it was where people came to leave.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t worry. People don’t live here,” Beomgyu said quietly as he took a step next to Taehyun. The softness in his voice surprised Taehyun; it was as if the other boy knew how deeply Taehyun had started thinking about this. “The people of Sector 5 started here, thinking building up would be safer. But this side was quickly overrun by monsters – even from up here. That, and you know, </span>
  <em>
    <span>bad wate</span>
  </em>
  <span>r, they said. Everyone lives past the station right there,” Beomgyu pointed. From this distance, there was a small opening in the towers of abandoned towers, and in that opening was the train station. At this distance, all they could really see were the train tracks and the platform dotted with bodies. But the stark difference from the cleanliness and structure of the platform, one could tell why it was safe: it was built by Hanamol.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Hanamol, the tyrant company disguising itself as a water company, promised everyone a better quality of life with their water, they did more than just dig it out of the ground. Their empire was built on that false lie, but people believed it enough to give them the power to do things like build train stations and divide living spaces. The massive water plants the company set up on the topside were connected straight down, past the slums and into the planet. They claimed it was how they sourced water for the entire city, but it was much more than that, Taehyun was told. The water planets not only sucked the water out of the land, but the life itself, mixing the water directly with the planet’s lifesource, its Mako, to create a ‘better life for all’. But while the topside lived comfortably in luxury, the depletion of life showed all too well down here. And most people were defeated by that thought, by the conditions of life down in the slums.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Most. But clearly, not all.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So you can make all the noise you want. Like this!” Beomgyu jumped ahead, landing loudly on the next shack and stomping his feet for extra emphasis. The boy laughed with an ease Taehyun imagined would bring comfort as well. “No one’s gonna care.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You don’t think the Seeders will hear you, though?” Taehyun frowned, hopping over to the next platform.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“And if they do?” Beomgyu shrugged, walking forward. This time, he stepped carefully across a large pipe that connected the roof they were on at a slope to one below, arms spread wide. “They’ll what– shoot at me? You saw their aim was pretty terrible earlier. And they sure as hell aren’t fast enough to get up here quickly enough to do anything!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Aren’t you... a little too relaxed?” Taehyun frowned, confused and taken aback by the other boy’s casual attitude towards having been targeted by a dangerous underground ops group. He stepped carefully, but quickly onto the pipe, keeping behind Beomgyu and watching as the boy teetered back and forth, trying to hold his balance.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, I’m Soldier material, aren’t I? So why should I be worried?” Beomgyu laughed, leaning to one side a little too much. Taehyun flinched; his arm extended forward quickly, but stopped short as Beomgyu turned around. With a brow raised, he grinned glancing at Taehyun’s hand. “Are you worried?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Taehyun sighed. “Keep going,” he said as he turned Beomgyu around and nudged the boy to walk forward.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I mean, I’ve also got you as my bodyguard now, so all the more reason for me not to be worried,” the dark haired boy chuckled, hopping off the pipe once he reached the end. “I think I’ll be okay.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not your bodyguard,” Taehyun frowned again, making a face at the other boy. “You’d have to pay me for that kind of service.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh</span>
  </em>
  <span>. I didn’t know you were like that, Taehyun... Oh...” Beomgyu gasped, bringing a dramatic hand to cover his mouth. “My bad... I had no idea you did </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> kind of thing...”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What kind of — what are you even talking about?!” Scoffing, Taehyun glared at the other boy who quickly broke into another laugh. “You’re so weird.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hardly!” Beomgyu chimed with a hop in his step as he continued forward. The more the two talked, the more Taehyun found the other boy to be a lot less of what he expected and a lot more of a handful. Maybe not in the bad way – there was nothing seemingly malicious about this boy, at least not from what Taehyun could tell. Malicious or not, he still seemed like a handful though, and traveling with him would be something that required a lot of energy, Taehyun sighed, resigned to the thought that he wouldn’t be able to shake off the other boy for a while.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So you’re headed back to .... sector 7, was it?” Beomgyu asked, glancing over his shoulder, not stopping his pace, but slowing down just enough to keep the conversation.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah,” the blonde nodded, thinking back to his friend and hoping everything was fine on that end. He had no means of contact – a phone was really something he should’ve picked up before they went on that last mission – so all he could do was hope for the best at the moment.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Cool.” The answer was surprisingly curt, even catching Taehyun off guard. He raised a brow wondering if there was something wrong with Sector 7 in the other boy’s eyes or if going back would be an issue. The moment didn’t last long, however, as Taehyun watched the other boy turn around with an easy grin. “Luckily for you, I know –“</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Beomgyu fell. The dark haired boy missed a step.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>Taehyun dove forward, extending his hand as far as he could reach. Barely, if not just by a breath, he grabbed the hand flailing in the river. He screamed, but the rapids were louder.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Kai! Hold on!” Taehyun cried, pressing his tiny body against the makeshift bridge they had been crossing and using what strength his small body could muster up to hold on to his friend.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>This was all his fault, he thought. He was the one who insisted on coming up the river. Kai voiced more than once how dangerous it could be with the monsters that had started showing up, but Taehyun, in his arrogance to prove something not worth it at this point, insisted they’d be fine on their own and it’d be totally worth it to come up here. All the big kids made it up here and said it was the coolest. They’d be the coolest, too. </span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>If they made it up.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Kai!” Taehyun screamed louder. His small hands clutching onto his friends were slipping with every lash of the river. The brunette’s head bobbed up and down the water, trying to catch every breath and cry for help. It wasn’t the stupid monsters that was their problem, Taehyun realized. It was the makeshift bridge the older kids made and Taehyun and Kai were too small, too unskilled to have gotten through it. Kai couldn’t make the jump from one side to the other.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Somebody! Please!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>The small boy’s vision began to blur; whether it was the backsplash of the river or his own tears flooding his eyes, Taehyun couldn’t tell. All he knew was that his grip was too weak. He couldn’t hold onto his best friend much longer.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“KAI!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Who’s Kai?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Taehyun blinked; beneath him lied Beomgyu with curious eyes. “Who’s Kai?” he repeated, not bothering to get up or pull himself from underneath Taehyun. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“What?” Heavily, Taehyun breathed, sitting up and leaning back on his hands as he sat for a moment, He could feel his pounding heart only just start to settle. A distant memory echoed in his ears, but he couldn’t recall. He had jumped from much higher ledges and been in battles more life threatening than this jump, but only now did he feel so flushed with panic.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You yelled, ‘KAI!’ before you jumped after me off the ledge and barrel rolled us here,” Beomgyu explained, gesturing to the room they were in. Taehyun looked around then looked back behind him: the ledge they had fallen off was about ten meters above and it seemed instinct kicked in, saving both of them from a disastrous fall. That part didn’t bother Taehyun; what did, though, was Beomgyu’s question. Why did Kai come up? Taehyun didn’t realize perhaps that was the feeling running through his veins. </span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Shaking it off, he stood up and dusted himself off. “We need to keep going,” he said pointedly. Even as he looked around the room, he could feel the thought of Kai in the back of his mind, though he was unsure why the other boy came up, especially now. Beomgyu just fell. Taehyun saved him. That’s all it was.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Taehyun.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A hand grabbed onto Taehyun’s arm; it was firm and unwavering, just like the eyes that met Taehyun’s when he turned around. Beomgyu stared at the blonde making it clear he wasn’t just moving on from this, but deep in his blue eyes, Taehyun saw concern. He saw care and curiosity. He saw questions he didn’t have answers to.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Kai is important to you, huh?” Beomgyu softened his voice and looked over Taehyun with a gaze that was equally as soft. The strength in his grip eased up and he broke into a smile. “He’s in sector 7 – that’s why you wanna get back so quick, huh. Don’t worry, we’ll get there in no time. As I was saying earlier: luckily for you, I know a shortcut.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Slowly, Taehyun nodded. Not exactly sure why, but the panic he had just moments ago washed away and he believed Beomgyu. He really did.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Things are moving and becoming a bit more curious, I think.</p>
<p>Thank you for reading ~ please look forward to the next chapter! I have longterm ideas for this now, so we're getting somewhere.</p>
<p>You can follow me on twitter @mugennocloud if you'd like, too!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
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